Exploring the big picture of being alive

Exploring the big picture of being alive can snap us out of our worries to be in awe of our very existence.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Ryan Hutton

Life can feel consumed by endless worries — small setbacks, looming deadline, nagging doubts. Yet when we pause to explore the big picture of simply being alive, perspective shifts.

The fact that we exist at all, with beating hearts and breath in our lungs, is extraordinary. Out of billions of possible outcomes, here we are — thinking, feeling, creating, connecting.

Stepping back to recognize this wonder doesn’t erase challenges, but it softens their grip. Problems shrink when measured against the vastness of life’s gifts.

Awe reminds us that existence itself is not guaranteed, but a fragile and beautiful chance. In that realization anxiety transforms into gratitude, and the ordinary reveals itself as something truly remarkable.

EXERCISE:

Spend a few minutes outside tonight or early tomorrow morning. Look at the stars in the sky.

Consider the vastness of the universe and appreciate your place in it.

As soon as I have a deadline, I work much better

“As soon as I have a deadline, I work much better. Time unbounded is hard to handle.”

May Sarton, pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton, 20th century novelist, poet, memoirist

Image from Unsplash by Markus Winkler

To what degree do you experience deadlines in your personal and professional lives?

How do time constraints impact your engagement and performance?

Where do they help you step up your game, or act as negative stressors that crush your spirit?

EXERCISE:

How does having unbounded time impact your life?

Where is the sweet spot between eustress and distress as it relates to setting deadlines for yourself?